


All The World's A Stage

by jenunjen96816



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-09-25 23:03:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9850706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenunjen96816/pseuds/jenunjen96816
Summary: Tobin and Christen are professional soccer players, and this story follows the twists and turns of their relationship as it evolves from friends to lovers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story by pitching two different ideas and asking for feedback on which idea to continue. I am going to continue with both, but I had made the first chapter of this story the idea/first chapter of the other story. I'm going to keep this page up so I don't accidentally delete comments or ruin the formatting or anything, but I will continue that idea as a separate story called The Fox And The Hound.
> 
> This story, All The World's A Stage, starts on Chapter 2.
> 
> Btw if anyone knows if I can delete this first chapter and still keep or transfer comments or not mess up the formatting then please let me know. I already somehow lost all of my stories on here before, so I am a little reticent to mess with formatting nowadays.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who voiced their thoughts on both ideas. You guys rock!

Please check out my main page to read the story that used to be the idea on this page, The Fox And The Hound.

All The World's A Stage starts on Chapter 2.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where idea # 2, the idea that most people wanted me to continue with, starts. I titled it "All The World's A Stage".
> 
> Tobin and Christen are professional soccer players in a world where soccer is bigger than it is in real life. This is the story of their relationship as it evolves from friends to lovers. Told in first person POVs. Somewhat AU but way more real life.
> 
> This incorporates real life stuff, but I also altered some stuff/made some stuff up to suit the story. Timeline may also be a bit off from real life, but the story pretty much takes place now.
> 
> Thank you again for your thoughts on which idea to continue with. I hope you enjoy the story.

Tobin POV

“So, what’s going on with dinner?” I asked, looking at Ashlyn Harris. We (that being the national team) had just gotten back to camp in Los Angeles. We had been south of the border for two weeks for the CONCACAF tournament. We had jumped on the plane in Buenos Aires early this morning and had arrived at LAX in the late afternoon. Shuttles had picked us up and had driven us back to camp. On the car ride a bunch of us had discussed going out to dinner since we had the night and the next day off. Ashlyn was going to put it together. When we arrived back at camp everyone had dispersed to their rooms. That was two hours ago.

“I don’t know, dude. I think most people are crapping out”, Ashlyn said. We were by the vending machines near the dining area. “Jetlag and shit, you know.”

“Oh c’mon, really?” I said, a bit disappointed. True, it had been a long day of traveling, but we had the night off, and I wanted to hang out before we were back to training. “Hope? Kelly?”

“No go for them. Hope is tired. You know, she’s old”, Ashlyn said with a smile, and I smiled back faintly. “Kell’s gonna hang back with her. They’re gonna stay in, watch a movie or something.” Kelly O'Hara and Hope Solo were the only other couple on the team besides Ashlyn and Ali Krieger that were publicly together.

“Kling? Moe?”

“No, they’re gonna stay in too. Kling went to that casino bar near the hotel last night and apparently lost her ass at the tables playing some Argentinian version of five card draw. She’s kind of bummed, and she’s broke, so she’s staying in. Moe is gonna stay in with her, keep her company.

“Dunn? JJ? Mewes? Anyone?”

“So far not a lot of enthusiasm. Bummer dude, I know.” Ashlyn said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well that sucks”, I said. 

“Well look, Al and I are still up for going out, if you want. Dinner or whatever.”

“Okay, I’ll go ask Presi”, I said. Ash and I fist bumped and then went back to our respective rooms. I opened the door to my room. Christen Press was sitting on her bed, looking at her phone. “Hey you”, I said.

“Hey Tobie”, Christen said, looking up and smiling slightly. I smiled slightly back. I like it when she calls me that. I like the way it sounds, rolling off her tongue, coming out of her mouth, in her silky smooth voice. “So, what’s up with dinner?”

“Well, I just spoke with Ash. Looks like everyone’s being lame”, I sighed.

“Awwww…bummer”, Christen said. Her eyes got big and sad, and she pouted slightly, her bottom lip slightly sticking out. I felt a slight twinge of pain in my heart. Sad Christen makes me sad.

“Well, Ash says she and Ali are still up for going out, so, I’m up for it, if you are”, I said, then as soon as I said that, I thought: that sounded kind of weird, like I won’t go if she won’t go. Like we’re together. We’re not, but I have to admit, I’ve thought about it a lot, increasingly a lot, over the past few months.

“Oh”, Christen said, and her face lit up a bit, turning her pout into an expression of hope and anticipation. I like that expression much better. “Well…do you still want to go…?”

“Yeah”, I said with a smile. “You?”

“Yeah”, she said, smiling again. “What time is it?” she said, then looked at per phone. “Oh, it’s already six? I should get a move-on, then”, she said. Christen likes to dial it up, so it takes her a while to get ready. She got up off her bed and then went to her closet. She opened the door and then sifted through her dresses, humming quietly. “Okay, which one?” she asked me, holding up a dark blue dress and a black and red one.

“Hmmmm…” I said, thinking. Honestly, I didn’t care. She’d look gorgeous in either. But she likes to ask me my thoughts on style sometimes. I have no idea why – I mean, I’m not the most glamorous person, but whatever. I like it. It kind of feels like something a girlfriend would ask. It’s nice. “The black and red one”, I said, nodding my head. Then I thought about what I was going to wear. I’m not really a dress person myself, but if she’s going to get decked out tonight then I’ll have to come up with something nice to keep up.

“Okay”, Christen said, smiling. She put the blue dress back in the closet and then pulled off the sweats that she had travelled in earlier today. She wasn’t teasing me. We’re roommates, so we see each other in various states of undress sometimes. Now in just her bra and underwear, she turned towards the bathroom, then she looked back at me, tipped her head back a bit. “I’m going to shower”, she said with a smile.

“Okay, enjoy”, I said, smiling back. I watched her as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I’m just going to flat out say it: I like her. I’m not exactly sure when it started. Maybe when we first started rooming together here at camp a few months ago. I had never really gotten to talk with her before, but since we started rooming together I’ve really gotten to know her. We would (and still do) stay up a bit after lights out and talk for a bit. She’s naturally an earlier to bed/earlier to rise person than I am, and sometimes in the mornings she wakes me up with a nice cup of coffee. We started eating all of our meals together, and we would go for extra runs together when we could. On the rare night we actually had a night off we would hang out, either with the team, or sometimes we would go out, just the two of us, for dinner or a movie, or whatever. One time I even met her parents. They don’t live to far from camp, so we went over to her house for dinner one night. I remember that it was nice but weird. It was almost like meeting the parents of a girl I liked, even though they didn’t know that, and she didn’t know that. For everyone else it was just dinner, but for me, it was like meeting that person’s family for the first time. As time went on I’d find myself starting at her sometimes, like when she fell asleep before me, or when we were both in our room, just relaxing, watching TV or on our phones or laptops. Not in a creepy way – just like the way you do when you’re taken with someone. Then we ended up as roommates on this latest trip south of the border. One night we went salsa dancing, and I swear, my breath caught when I saw her step out of the bathroom in her red and gold salsa dress. Then, when we were dancing close, her back to me, I just wanted to grab her from behind and wrap her up in my arms. She’s just an amazing person – the smartest, kindest, and sweetest person I know. And the most beautiful. She’s got this amazing smile than lights up the entire room. It’s weird, because I’ve always been kind of a wanderer and a drifter, and I’ve never felt much attachment to anything or anyone, but I guess I’ve kind of fallen for her. Liking someone is kind of a foreign feeling for me, but I like her. And it’s strange, because I was with Shirley up until not that long ago. That hurt, breaking up, and maybe I’m not in the place to be in a relationship. Maybe it would be too soon if something were to happen with us, and maybe that’s shallow of me, to feel something for someone so soon after breaking up with someone else, but I just can’t help what I feel with Christen.

The sound of the bathroom door opening brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw Christen come out and, bath towel around her body, hair wrapped up in a bun. “Okay, all you”, she said with a smile, pointing toward the bathroom.

“Thanks” I said, smiling back. I feel like I smile a lot when I’m around her. I got up, took off my travel sweats and then headed towards the bathroom. As I walked past Christen she lightly touched my arm. I felt her fingers trail on my skin.

“Wait, Tobie? Before you go in”, she said, grabbing my hand to stop me from entering the bathroom. Then she reached both hands into her closet. “Which ones?” she asked, holding up two pairs of heels.

“Hmmmmm…” I said, making a show of thinking, trying to concentrate on making a decision on shoes and not on the fact that the woman I like is standing before me in nothing but a towel. “These ones”, I said, pointing to a pair of black slingback heels.

“You like these?” she said, raising the shoes in the hand I pointed to for verification. I guess she cares what I think about what she wears. Not sure why, but it feels good when she asks. I nodded. “Okay”, she said with a smile. She put the pair of unchosen shoes back in the closet and then grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Thanks. Now you can go shower”, she said, smiling coyly.

I looked at her, and thought, is this it? I know I like her, but I’ve gotten the impression that she maybe likes me too. I stood there for a moment but then decided against making a move. Instead I smiled back, raised my eyebrows suggestively, and mouthed “okay”, then turned around and headed to the shower, thinking about how Christen was going to look in her dress and heels when I got out of the bathroom.

********

Christen POV

Dinner was wonderful, but it felt a bit weird. We went to a seafood place right on Santa Monica beach. We had a quiet booth near the back, and the lights were dark and there was a candle on the table. I sat next to Tobin, and it kind of felt like a double date, with Ashlyn and Ali. The food was amazing, though. We had these awesome crab cakes and then salad, and then I had Tobin order my entrée for me. She was a little surprised when I asked her to do that, and then she was worried that she would order me something I didn’t like, but I told her I was willing to take that chance. Ashlyn looked at me, too, but I didn’t care. I wanted to see if Tobin and I would make a connection. I’m a bit of a weirdo like that, I guess. I believe in connections, not only like big things like worldviews, but hobbies (we both like surfing), and other things, like the kind of pets you like (we both like dogs), or even other, littler things, like if you like the same kind of toothpaste (which we do, Aquafresh), or if you finish each others' sentences (which we do sometimes as well), or if you would order the same thing off of a menu. Tobin ordered me the halibut, and it was delicious. She ordered some shrimp thing, and we shared. We swapped plates back and forth, instead of putting some of our own meals for each other on separate plates. It kind of felt like like we were together. At one point Tobin reached over with her fork and speared a cherry tomato right off my plate and then just ate it. I glared at her in mock anger, and she laughed. Then she rolled her eyes at me, smiling and chewing, and I swear, I just wanted to kiss her right there. I wondered how we looked to Ashlyn and Ali. They could probably tell that I like Tobin, but in that moment I didn’t care. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but sometime after we started rooming together, between the meals we ate together, the evening massages she gave me when I hurt after practice, the late night talks, and whatever else, I’d fallen for her. I do remember one morning, in Argentina, I woke up before she did. I got us both coffee, and when I got back to the room, my eyes fell on her, and as I watched her sleep, curled up on her side, hair in her face, I thought: I’m taken with her. She’s got this amazing zest for life, and I’ve fallen in love with her adventurous nature. I’m kind of cautious and more methodical, so it’s nice to be around someone who is more of a carefree spirit. I feel like she makes me relax, and smile and laugh more. Speaking of which, she has the most infectious laugh. I could listen to it for hours.

After dinner we went down to the Santa Monica Pier. Tobin offered me her arm, and we walked along the wooden walkway towards the end of the pier, Ashlyn and Ali walking hand in hand just a few steps ahead of us. I looked at Tobin as we walked. Neither of us were saying much, but that was okay, since I was thinking. She looked fabulous in her stylish black leather jacket, white button down shirt, tight dark pants and boots. She’s got great style. She’s not a girly girl like me who always likes dresses and heels, but her style suits her, and it’s hot. And she always looks great, whether she’s dressed up like she is now, out for dinner or a night on the town, or just hanging out in the game room at camp, wearing jeans and a backwards baseball cap, or even just in our room, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts.

We got towards the end of the pier and we stopped walking. We turned back towards where we had come from and looked out over the water at the lights going down the coast.

“Lights looks amazing”, I heard Tobin say. She was right behind me, a bit to my right.

“Yeah, they do”, I said. It’s so cool that she likes lights on the water. I do too. I could feel her breath on my hair. Or maybe it was the cool February night ocean breeze.

“I think I see your parents’ house”, she joked. “It’s down there somewhere, right?” She said, her arm brushing my side as she pointed past me down towards the coast.

“Yeah”, I laughed quietly. I grew up in Palos Verdes, like an hour south of Santa Monica. Tobin met my parents once. I brought her home for dinner when we had a night off. It was weird, like I felt like I was bringing home a significant other to meet my parents for the first time. I’m sure no one else felt weird, but for me, I felt kind of nervous. Anyway, my parents like her a lot. I talk with them every week, and they always ask about her.

We continued to look out onto the water in silence. I looked over at Ashlyn and Ali. Ashlyn was behind Ali, holding her in her arms. I could hear them talking quietly. I looked back onto the water and then my body involuntarily shivered as I felt a chill.

“You okay, Chris?” Tobin asked. I like how she calls me Chris. It sounds nice, coming out of her mouth. Not many people call me that, just people who are close to me, like family and a couple friends.

“Yeah”, I said. “Just got a chill.”

“Here”, she said. I heard rustling and then she draped her jacket over me, over my front, like a blanket.

“Tobie, you don’t have to”, I said.

“There you go”, she said. She looped the sleeves loosely behind my neck so it would stay on me while I was standing up.

“But, won’t you be cold?” I asked.

“I’ll be okay”, she said. I started to ask if she was sure, but she said, “Better me cold than you.”

I felt her move in a bit closer behind me. I tipped my head back. “Thank you”, I said, with a smile. She smiled back at me, and I held her gaze for a moment and then turned back towards the water. Such a thoughtful person she is. It’s weird because I’ve always thought of free spirit people as being kind of less thoughtful. Not because they're mean, but just because they kind of go with the flow, so they don’t think of things, or others. But Tobin is so thoughtful. It’s like, little things, like she’ll open doors for me a lot, or let me walk in front of her, or offer to buy me a chocolate bar, which I know I shouldn’t have too much of, but she knows I love. I'm kind of sappy and a romantic at heart, so I'm a sucker for little things like that. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know her. I like her. It’s weird, because I’ve never liked a girl before, but I don’t really think of it that way with Tobin. Tobin is just…Tobin, and I like her, just as her the person. She’s my Tobie. And sometimes I think that maybe she likes me too, but I can’t tell for sure. And if we were to get together, there’s a lot to consider. I mean, we’re teammates, so how would that affect the team? And how would Jill react?

As we looked out onto the water I snuggled into Tobin’s jacket. It was soft and warm. “This jacket is warm and cozy”, I said.

“Good”, she said. I didn’t look back but I thought I could feel her smiling. “So you’re warm enough then?” she asked.

“Yeah, thanks. It’s warm”, I said again. I smiled, then closed my eyes and inhaled. “And it smells like you”, I said.

Tobin laughed lightly. “I hope that’s a good thing”, she said.

“It is”, I said, nodding my head. I stared out onto the water lost in thought, and that was when I felt it: Tobin’s arms went around my waist. It was gentle, almost tentative. She held me lightly, but even so I could feel her strong muscles through my dress. I could feel her breath on my hair, definitely her breath and not the ocean breeze, and then she put her chin on my shoulder.

“Is this okay?” she breathed into my ear.

“Yeah”, I said back softly and then nuzzled my head back into her shoulder. We stayed like that for a moment, her holding me from behind, me nuzzling into her. "It's totally okay", I said, thinking about how she had just put her arms around my waist, and how they felt around me. Then I felt her lips graze my neck. I felt her press a light kiss against my skin, and then I felt her breath on my neck. My skin erupted in goosebumps, even with her jacket over me, and then I tilted my head back and looked at her. She was staring at me, eyes smoldering. I stared back into her eyes for a moment, and then at her lips, and then I closed my eyes, leaned back a bit more and pressed my lips against hers. She held my lips against hers for a moment, and then she opened the kiss. I melted into the moment, absorbing the feeling of her lips on mine. I had thought about this often lately - what it would feel like to be held by her, kissed by her, and it just felt...right. We stayed like that, kissing, for I don’t know how long, until I heard clapping. I opened my eyes and looked at Tobin, who had the biggest grin I’ve even seen on anyone on her face, and then I looked over at Ashlyn and Ali, who I had forgotten were with us, ten feet away.

“Awwww…” Ali said sweetly.

"Uh…” I stammered out, unsure of what to say. Tobin’s arms were still wrapped around me. Talk about busted.

“Well it’s about time”, Ashlyn smirked. I stared at her and then I heard Tobin laugh. I was still kind of embarrassed. I mean, I knew Ashlyn and Ali would be the last people to spill the beans about seeing Tobin and me kiss, but still. Then I tilted my head back and saw Tobin still smiling, and in that instant I forgot all about my embarrassment. I looked at Ash and Ali, then looked back at Tobin, and then closed my eyes and went in for another kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Tobin POV

Ashlyn and Ali left a few minutes after they applauded our first kiss. I think they sensed that something special was happening between me and Christen, and the wanted to give us some alone time. Christen and I stayed down at the pier for a while longer, kissing, smiling, and then we took a cab back to camp. We were silent in the ride back. I think we were both just trying to process the fact that we had actually kissed for the first time, and therefore had actually let each other know for the first time that we felt something more than platonic feelings for each other. I put my arm around Christen as we rode. She was still wearing my jacket, and she snuggled into me.

We got back to our room. I unlocked the door and held it open for her. We stepped in, closed the door, and I took my jacket off of her. She kicked off her heels and I took off my boots. We looked at each other, I think both of us were unsure of what to say or do next, now that we were back in our room at camp and not in a romantic setting.

“Tobie…” Christen began, but I grabbed her hands.

“C’mere”, I said softly and gently pulled her towards my bed. She sat down next to me, and I leaned in for another kiss. I felt her lips touch mine, and I stayed there for a delicious moment, then I opened the kiss a bit. I felt her respond, and I pulled her down onto the bed with me. We ended up side by side, and we stayed like that for a while, just kissing softly, smiling, gazing into each others' eyes, holding each others' cheeks, giggling. Then she nuzzled her face into my neck and wrapped her arm around my chest.

“So…” she began.

“So…” I said back.

“I don’t know. I mean, so many feelings, so much to talk about…” she drifted off.

“I know”, I said. “Me too…”

We were silent for another moment and then Christen raised her head up slightly. “What do we tell everyone? Like, when do we tell everyone? Should we even tell everyo-“.

I put my finger to her lips. “Yes, we should tell everyone, but maybe we need to talk, just us, first.”

“Yeah, you’re right”, she said, then put her head back down. “I know, I’m jumping ahead. Always over-thinking”, she said, self-effacingly. I found it endearing.

I chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry about it”, I said. “And we can talk. But maybe, for tonight, we can hold off and just do this?” I cupped her chin, gently tilted her head up a bit and gave her a tender kiss.

“Okay”, she said, then she smiled, kissed me again, and then nuzzled back into my neck. We laid like that for a moment and then she said, “Tobie?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you know? I mean, what made you decide to, you know…”

“Go for it?” I finished her thought.

“Yeah.”

“I don't know. I mean, I didn’t know for sure that you like me, but I thought maybe. And I like you, so I just took a chance.”

She was silent for a moment, then she raised her chin up and positioned herself on top of me. “Well I’m glad you did”, she said. I looked up into her eyes, and then I raised my head, she lowered hers, and we melded into another kiss.

 

********

 

Christen POV

My eyes fluttered open as the sunlight streamed through the window. We had forgotten to close the blinds before we went to bed. I laid there for a moment, on my side, and then smiled when I realized that Tobin was behind me. We had changed out of our dinner clothes and into our pajamas, then spent the rest of the night in each others' arms, kissing, touching, smiling. We didn’t go any further. Neither of us wanted to rush anything. We fell asleep in Tobin’s bed. Now her arms were wrapped around my stomach, her face nuzzled into the hair on the back of my head. I stayed like that for a few minutes, taking in the feeling of being close to her as well as thinking about everything that had happened in the last twelve hours. A moment later I felt her stir.

“Hi” I whispered.

“Mmmmm…Hi”, I heard Tobin whisper back. I turned over to face her. Her eyes were closed, but there was a slight smile on her face.

“Good morning, sleepy head”, I said. She opened her eyes, and looked into mine. Then she lifted her head up a bit and gave me a light kiss on the lips, and that’s when it really hit me: last night really did happen. I didn’t just dream it up.

“Good morning, you”, she said. I laid my head down on her chest, and she started stroking my hair. It felt so wonderful. “How did you sleep?”

“Good” I said. “You?”

“Good, but not long enough”, she said. “We should’ve closed the blinds.”

“I know”, I groaned. “I guess we forgot, in the midst of last nights…events.”

“Yeah”, Tobin said and laughed softly. We laid together in silence for a few minutes, and then she said, “So…I know you want to talk.”

“Yeah, I do", I said, then lifted up my head. "Don’t you? I mean, don’t you think we should talk?” I asked.

“I do”, she said, then paused for a moment and then said, “I just don’t know where to begin…”

“I guess I don’t really either”, I said.

We were silent for a moment, and then she started to move. I scooted off of her, and she sat up. I sat up facing her, and then she took my hands said, “Look, I don't really know where to start, but what I do know is this: I like you, Christen Press. I don’t exactly know when and where it happened, but it has. And I like you.”

I smiled. “I like you too, Tobin Heath. And I don’t know either, where it started or when, but I do. Maybe sometime between the extra runs, the meals together…”

“Late night talks, you bringing me coffee in the morning…”

“You giving me massages after practice”, I said, then smiled, letting her know how much I love those.

“Yeah”, she said. “Sometime in there, I guess…” she said.

“Yeah, I don’t know, I mean, I guess I just kind of fell for you”, I said.

“Me too. I mean, I fell for you”, she said, looking into my eyes. Then she smiled. I smiled back, and then she leaned forward and planted a kiss on my lips. We stayed like that for a moment and then she said, ”Look, Chris, I know there’s more we should talk about, but I just don’t really know what to say right now. I mean, I like you, and that’s what I know.”

“Okay, and I like you too. But, what do we tell the team? I mean, Ash and Ali know-“

“They’re not going to say anything, Chris. I mean, they’d be the last people to blab about seeing us kiss.”

“Well, sure, but we have to tell people sometime, right? I mean, what happens when people start finding out?”

“Start finding out about what?” Tobin asked. “Us? I mean, _we’re_ just finding out about us, right now.” She squeezed my hands lightly and then smiled. “Look, stop worrying about everyone else right now. Why don’t we do ‘us’ first, okay? I mean, we don’t even know where this is headed yet, do we?” she asked me. I shook my head. “Okay, so let’s just…see where things go for a bit, and then we can tell everyone else.” She paused for a moment and then said, “I mean, if you realize you hate being with me”, she said, then looked down and then looked back up with a sad smile, “then it may end up not even being a thing, and we may not have to even worry about telling anyone.”

“Well, I can’t imagine that happening”, I said. Then I squeezed her hands. “You’re amazing. I mean…you’re my Tobie.”

Tobin looked at me and then moved her face closer to mine. “I think _you’re_ the amazing one, Chris”, she said. She smiled at me, then I smiled back, and then our lips met, and we fell back down into bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Tobin POV

A week had passed since Christen and I had first kissed, down on the Santa Monica Pier. We haven’t had a lot of time to ourselves since we’ve been busy with training and gearing up for our next match, but it’s amazing how things have changed between us. The subtle looks we used to give each other in private are now out in the open, at least behind closed doors. We hug and kiss all the time in our room. We take showers together, we snuggle in the evening after everyone retires, we sleep in the same bed. We haven’t had sex yet, but that’s okay. I think I’m ready for it, but Christen is more cautious than me. She says she wants to take it slow, because this is important, so she wants to do things right. I respect that, and I do agree that we should do things right. I can’t believe it’s only been a week, either. We’ve become so comfortable with each other like this so fast, it feels like it’s been much longer, and it’s funny because a week ago I couldn’t imagine things being the way they are right now, but now that they are, I couldn’t imagine them being any other way.

We had the morning off. It was the first morning we’ve had off since we’ve been together, and I wanted to get out and spend some alone time with my…I don’t know, girlfriend I guess…maybe? Christen and I haven’t talked about titles or anything. I guess we’ve just been focusing on the feeling of being together. It’s the honeymoon stage I guess, and we both know that that stage doesn’t last forever, even if you stay together with someone, so I think right now we just want to enjoy it. Plus, it’s a lot to process, for both of us. I mean, we’re friends, and we’re team mates, so there’s a lot at stake. If this doesn’t work out…well, I don’t think either of us want to think about that.

We pulled up to Palos Cliffs and parked the car. We’re at an out-of-the-way surf spot that some friends of mine showed me a couple years ago. I surf here whenever I can. It’s an uncrowded break, and it gets good in the later winter months, like now. Christen actually grew up very close to here. I looked over at her as I turned off the engine.

“Hi”, I said and smiled.

“Hi”, she breathed back. We smiled at each other for a moment, and then we leaned in for a kiss. Christen pulled back and then looked around. “I can’t believe we’re so close to my house”, she said. “I never knew this was here.” Christen isn’t much of a surfer, but I’ve been teaching her, taking her when we have time, and she’s actually pretty good, especially for someone who is as new to it as she is. She’s such a naturally gifted athlete that she picked it up pretty quickly. It actually took me longer to learn than it took her, but that’s my Chris. She’s amazing, in every way.

“Yeah, it’s kind of an out of the way spot”, I said. “It’s funny, you know, like, you can grow up somewhere and still not know that something exists right in your neighborhood, until someone tells you.” I think about that kind of stuff a lot, with all of the traveling I do, for soccer and otherwise. I guess I’m a weirdo like that.

Christen looked around for another moment and then looked back at me, smiled, and gave me a quick kiss. “Okay, Miss Philosopher”, the said, and I giggled.

“So, you ready?” I asked her?

“Yup”, she said. I leaned in for one last kiss, and then I grabbed the backpack from the back seat and we got out of the car. I pulled the surfboards off of the board rack, handed Christen hers, then grabbed mine, and we headed down the cliffs to the beach. The waves were breaking, long rights, solid chest high.

“Looks good”, I said, then looked around. “And no one else in sight.”

“Yeah”, Christen said absently, staring at the water. 

“Hey”, I said. I moved close and touched her arm, my hand lingering. “You okay?”

“Yeah”, she said. “Just…well, these waves look kind of big…”

I stared at her for a moment and then smiled. “Hey, you’ll be fine”, I said. I gave her arm a squeeze, and she smiled back. I wanted to lean in and kiss her, but we have been holding to a now PDA rule, to be safe. “Plus, I’ll be here, to pull you out if you run into trouble…like, you know, if a shark attacks you or something”, I said, teasing.

“Okay, whatever asshat”, Christen said, then shot me a mock glare. I laughed back, then let go of her arm.

“Let’s go, you”, I said. We grabbed our boards and paddled out. Christen did really well. She fell a few times on some of the bigger waves she tried to get up on, but she caught most of them. We ended up staying out for a couple hours, longer than usual, since the water was cold. Even through our wet suits we could feel the chill. We paddled back in, laid our boards down onto the sand, grabbed towels out of the backpack, and then sat on the beach. I noticed another car next to ours in the parking lot on the cliffs overhead.

“Hey you”, I said.

“Hi”, Christen said back.

How do you feel?”

“Good, but cold”, she said. I could see her shivering a bit, even with her towel wrapped around her.

“Here”, I said, as I dug into the backpack for a blanket. I had brought it for us to sit on, but right now I figured Christen could wear it for extra warmth. I pulled it out and draped it around Christen. “How’s that?”

“Better”, she said. “Thank you.” I smiled at her and sat down next to her, and then she said, “Are you cold? Do you want to share?”

“No, I’m okay”, I said. Truth be told, I was a bit cold, but I wanted her to be warm.

“Here, c’mon”, she said, holding one arm up, extending an offer to join her.

I stared at her for a moment and then said, “Are you sure? I mean, Chris, we’re out in public.”

“It’s okay”, she said. “Warmth is more important right now.”

I stared at her for a moment and then smiled. I scooted myself closer to her, took my edge of the blanket from her hand and wrapped it around me. The two of us sat there, sides touching, blanket wrapped around us both.

“Hey”, I said, looking over at her. Our faces were less than a foot apart.

“Hey”, she said back.

I looked at her for a moment, then touched her nose with my finger. “Your nose is cold”, I said, then touched it again. “Beautiful cold nose”, I said, and she giggled. I stared at her and then, couldn’t help myself, leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“Tobie…”, she said.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself”, I said. She stared at me for a moment, then smiled slyly and raised her side of the blanket up. I caught on, did the same, and we pulled the blanket over our heads.’

“Okay, now we can…” she said, trailing off, and leaned in for another kiss, under the cover if the blanket. We sat there, lips pressed together, and then I cupped her chin with my right hand, opened the kiss, and with my left hand slowly unzipped her wetsuit…

 

********

 

Christen POV

 

Tobin and I stayed at the beach for a bit longer. Eventually we finished up our under-the-blanket make-out session and came out. There was a car next to ours in the parking lot. A couple teenagers were hanging out on the beach about a hundred yards from us. We packed up our stuff, got in our car, and drove back to camp. When we got back we went back to our room, took a shower together, and were discussing what to do about dinner when there was a knock at the door. I was in the bathroom doing my hair, so Tobin opened it. I heard the door close and then soft voices, and then Tobin called me out. I came out of the bathroom and saw Kelley standing there with a look on her face that I couldn’t quite describe. Shock maybe? Curiosity? Incredulity?

“Hi KO”, I said.

“Hi Presi”, Kelley said. She and Tobin each had a hand on Kelley’s phone.

“Uh, Chris, you should see this”, Tobin said, handing me the phone. It was a few shots of me and Tobin from the beach today. One of them was us getting out of the water from surfing. The next was the two of us sitting next to each other. The third was the two of us underneath the blanket. The caption read:

Romantic surfing sess, whats happening under the blanket…? Preath is real! #preath #love #couple #beachsex

“Oh”, was all I could say, mind spinning, as I felt my face turn red. The kids at the beach, the car in the parking lot next to ours…

“I saw this like an hour ago”, Kelley said. Kelley is always on social media. She’s like the team social media butterfly. “It’s blowing up like crazy.” She looked at Tobin and me and said, “Look, guys…I know it’s not my place to say anything, but...well, you guys both know that Hope and I went through this… or something like this, and I’m not saying that you guys are the same, or whatever…” she said. Tobin and I hadn't told anyone yet about us, so only Ashlyn and Ali knew, and we hadn't really talked with them since they saw us kissing on the pier, but Kelley gave Tobin and me a look that told us both that she knew there was something happening between us. "Well, you know…if you guys need to talk, or whatever…” Kelley trailed off.

“Thanks KO”, Tobin said, then showed her to the door and shut it.

“Oh man”, I said, my face still red, hairs standing up on end. I’m not on social media nearly as much as Kelley, or even Tobin, but I do get on it sometimes, so this is not the first mention of Tobin and me being together that I have seen, but this is for sure the most suggestive capture of Tobin and me, and the first time we have been posted together since we actually got together in a photo. For some reason, now that we're actually together, made so much difference to me. Up until then we could always pass it off as just rumors and speculation, but now, now that we are actually together, seeing something like this feels so much different. I'm a terrible liar, so now, if someone asks me if something is happening between us, what am I supposed to say?

“Yeah”, Tobin said. I’ll be honest – I don’t think she really cares as much as I do about what is said about us on social media, but I think even she understood the gravity of this. Unlike other pictures that have been posted of us, these weren’t pictures of us just sitting side by side at a publicity event or hugging on the field after a goal. These were pictures of just the two of us together, off the field, in private life. Tobin stood there for a moment and then took my hands and said, “Well, I supposed we should talk about, you know…telling people maybe…”

“Yeah”, I said, mind still spinning.


	5. Chapter 5

Tobin POV

“Hey, you want another drink?” I leaned in and asked Christen over the music. We had the night and next day off so were out dancing with some of the team at a club near the camp. It’s been a busy week since our surfing session at Palos. Lots of training and film watching, etc. We’re playing England in a couple weeks in Houston. They’re tough, and they’re on a winning streak, so we’ve been training hard. But tonight we’re out. We need to blow off some steam, at least for a few hours.

“No, I’m good, thanks”, Christen said, smiling at me, and I smiled back. We danced together for a minute, and then Julie moved between us, and the three of us danced together. I kind of wanted to dance close with just Christen, but we haven't told anyone about us yet besides Hope and Kelly, and Ashyn and Ali. Also, we've been hot on the internet this week, so we need to be careful about conveying that we are together. We danced for a few more minutes and then I turned to go to the bar, but I felt Christen grab my hand. “Wait, Tobie…Tobie Tobie Tobie”, she said and pulled me back. “Dance with me for a bit first, okay?”

“I looked at her beautiful eyes staring into mine. The drink could wait. “Of course”, I said. I moved closer to her and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I put my arms around her waist and we swayed to the music. Then she turned around so her back was to me. I caught a whiff of her hair, coconut passion, and my heart fluttered a bit. I kept my arms around her, and she put hers over mine.

“Hey you”, I whispered into her ear.

“Hey”, she said back. We danced like that for a bit, her in front of me, me behind, holding her in my arms and breathing in her scent. We spent the next hour or so alternating between dancing with our friends and teammates and dancing with just each other. Around 11pm everyone started to head out, so we followed suit, a caravan of Ubers back to camp. I opened the door to our room and held it for Christen, then shut it and locked it.

“Well that was fun”, I said.

“It sure was”, she said back. She smiled at me and then leaned in for a kiss. We stayed like that for a moment, lips pressed together, and then I opened the kiss. We continued to kiss for a moment, and then I walked her over to my bed, still locked in our kiss, and we both laid down on our sides, facing each other.

“Hey you”, I said.

“Hey”, she said back. She was staring at me, eyes smoldering.

“Chris…what is it?” I asked, as my hand went to caress her hair.

“Do you still think we’re doing the right thing?” she asked.

“What do you mean, ‘doing the right thing’?”

“You know, like…being together…”

“Ummm…yeah, totally”, I said. I paused for a moment and then asked, “Wait - don’t you?”

“Yeah”, she said and smiled. “I do.”

I smiled back and then asked, “What made you ask?”

“I don’t know”, she said. “Maybe…I just wanted to know, before I did this.” Then she rolled me over onto my back and straddled me. She grabbed her dress and lifted it over her head, then tossed it on the floor. She removed her bra and tossed that as well, and then I looked up and there she was, the girl of my dreams, her beautiful face framed by her long flowing hair, staring down at me.

 

********

 

Christen POV

I straddled Tobin and looked down on her. She looked beautiful, lying on her back, her hair splayed out on the mattress.

“Chris…” she said.

“Yeah”, I breathed back.

“A-a-are you sure…?” she said.

I stared at her. Since our first kiss, there’s been more kissing, and cuddling, and even some upper body massages without shirts, but we haven’t gone further. I think we’ve both been playing it safe and taking it slow, but more me than her. I’m just naturally more cautious than she is. But tonight I felt ready. I wanted to be with her. I wanted to feel her. Maybe it was the drinks, although we didn’t really have many. Maybe it was the dancing. Maybe it was the fact that, I don’t know, it finally felt right. Whatever it was, I was ready. I took her hands and placed them on my breasts.

“Tobie…I’m sure”, I said. She smiled at me as she touched my skin. I closed my eyes and tiled my head back, and then I felt her gently flip me over, so I was on my back. Now she was on top, between my legs, looking down at me. She unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it on the ground, then kicked off her boots and wiggled out of her jeans. I kicked off my heels and then we just stared at each other, both of us just in our underwear. Being her roommate I had seen her so many times in just her underwear, but this was so much different. This was us, not just me or her. Us, together. She smiled at me and then leaned down to kiss me. Our mouths melded together, and I could feel the bare skin of her legs, arms and chest against mine. We stayed like that for a while, and then I felt her mouth leave mine and dip down to my neck. I exhaled as she gently kissed my skin, and then gasped when she lightly bit my neck. Then her mouth continued its way south, down to my chest. She took my right nipple in her mouth and alternated between gently biting and licking it, her right hand gently teasing my other nipple. She stayed there for a while, then switched, and then I felt her hands push my legs apart as her mouth reached my stomach. She planted gentle kisses there and then looked up.

“Chris”, she breathed out.

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Just…”

“Nervous?” she said.

“Terrified”, I said.

She stopped and moved up my body so her face was less than a foot from mine. “Why?”

I stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. “Because, well, it’s you, and it’s me, and this is big, and I’m not as experienced as you, and-“

“Shhhh”, she said, and put her finger against my lips. “You don’t need to be nervous or terrified just because you think I am more experienced than you. That doesn’t matter.” She smiled and put her hand to my head and gently stroked my hair, and I smiled slightly back. “It’s just us, Chris. You and me. Chris and Tobie.” She paused for a moment and then bent down and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. “The only thing that matters is if you’re ready. And if you’re not, then we can wait-“

“No”, I said. I took her hand that was caressing my hair and I kissed it, finger by finger. Then I leaned up and kissed her hard on the lips. “I’m ready, Tobie”, I said. She smiled, and I settled back down and closed my eyes as her mouth trailed south down past my stomach.


	6. Chapter 6

Tobin POV

It had been another busy week training for England, but we had Sunday morning off. When I got up Christen was in the shower, so I did some stretching and then checked my phone. There were a few texts from some of my surfing crew.

Stace: Lunada is firing head high

Kit: Leaving in 30 see you fools there

I smiled. I don’t get to surf much these days, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to surf Lunada Bay. This was going to be one of those epic days, I could feel it. I threw on my wetsuit and grabbed my board, and I picked up my phone and was just about to summon an Uber when I heard Christen coming out of the bathroom. She was dressed in a cute sundress and strappy sandals. She looked adorable, and she looked like she was going out. I quickly wondered where she might be going, and then I leaned my board against the wall and started walking over to her.

“Hey you”, I said as I smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

“Hey”, she said, smiling, then her smile dropped and she turned her head away.

“You okay, Chris?”

“Tobie, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why is your board out, and why are you wearing a wetsuit?”

“Uh…I’m going surfing. Um, Kit and Stace, you know, my south bay surfing crew friends? They texted me and said Lunada is head high right now. They’re going to head down there soon”, I said. I got the feeling that I was in trouble, but I wasn’t exactly sure why. When I first saw the text about Lunada I figured that maybe Christen would want a bit of time alone, so I could go with my friends. We’ve been around each other a lot lately, and since last weekend, the first time we made love, we’ve been doing that a lot this week, so we’ve been extending our awake time together even more. I figured that maybe we could use a break from each other for just a few hours, but now it seems like she’s mad that I didn’t invite her, so I offered it up. “Do you want to join us? I mean, I can wait for you to change.”

Christen glared at me and I realized that I was definitely in trouble. “No, I don’t want to join you for that, Tobie.” She stared at me for a moment and then said, “Tobie, we’re supposed to have brunch with my mom, in like, an hour. And you’re supposed to join me for that. Remember?”

I sat there, staring at her. Now that she mentioned it, it was ringing a bell, but I couldn’t quite remember. I stared at her, wheels turning for another moment, and then said, “Wait…that’s today?”

Christen rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s today. What, did you forget?”

I looked at Christen. I totally had forgotten. My mind reeled back to the beginning of this week, when she had asked me about it, and I had said yes. Now I kind of remembered, maybe. I felt bad. But maybe she’d be cool to go by herself, and I could take her out later, or something. I’ve changed plans on her before, and it's never been a big deal. The surf sounded like it was going to be epic, and as much as I like Christen, and her mom, I kind of would rather be surfing head high Lunada than having brunch. I walked over to Christen. “Look, I’m sorry. I totally did forget”, I said, then I touched her arms. I was hoping she would forgive me, but she pulled away and stared at me.

“Well?” she said.

“Well…what?”

“Aren’t you going to shower and get changed?”

“Oh…you still want me to go?”

Christen raised her arms and huffed. “Yes, Tobin, I want you to go. That was the plan, remember? We were going to have brunch with my mom. You and me, together.”

I looked at her. I could tell she was upset, but I wasn’t quite sure why she was so upset. “Well, you seem upset with me, so maybe you should have brunch with her, just the two of you, and then we can meet later. Or like maybe if she’s free for dinner we can all do that together.”

“No, Tobin!” Christen yelled and I froze.

“Chris-” I said, but she kept on me.

“Tobin, I asked you to go, and you said yes. So we’re going. Surfing can wait. You said you would go with me.”

“Right, I mean, I guess I did say I would go, even though I don’t remember saying that”, I said, but Christen shot eye daggers at me and I said, “which totally of course doesn’t mean that I didn’t say I wouldn’t go, because I’m sure I did say I would go, or whatever, but look – I just forgot, okay? Honest mistake, and I’m sorry. I really am.” I looked at Christen. I felt bad because I could tell she was mad and it was my fault, but I really did just forget, and she seemed so upset, and I couldn’t figure out why. I mean, I guess I said I would go, but plans change all the time. That’s just life, right? And they way I looked at it, I’m sure this restaurant, wherever we were supposed to go to brunch, would still be there in a few hours. Why couldn’t we go to a late lunch, or dinner, or something?

Christen looked at me and her face softened. “Look, Tobie, okay, you forgot, and that happens, but now that you remember, you have to honor that commitment. So, c’mon, go shower and get ready”, she said, waving her hands at me.

“Well, okay, I mean, but, like, the waves are really good right now, and I was just thinking that, well, maybe we can do a late lunch, or something…” I trailed off as Christen’s face hardened again.

“Dammit, Tobin!” Christen stared at me, eyes ablaze, and I froze. She paused, staring at me for another terrible moment, and then she said, “You can’t just do whatever you want, whenever you want, okay?”

“Chris”, I said, putting my hands up. “Why are you so upset? I’m sorry I forgot, but…I mean, I’ve changed plans on you before, and you’ve never been angr-“

“We are in a relationship, Tobin! You’re not single anymore”, she said. She stared at me for a moment and then said, “We planned on this, Tobie, remember? You and I, we planned on this, and then I told my mom, and she planned on it. So okay, I get that the waves are ‘epic’ right now”, she said, using her fingers to make quotation marks, “but we planned on this, and you agreed to this, and we are in a relationship, together, and this is important to me, so you need to honor that.”

So the penny dropped. I stood there as she stared at me, chest heaving, face flushed. I guess the flirty smiles, kissing and what not weren't the only things that have changed in our relationship. This was the first time she’s ever gotten angry at me. And it felt horrible. Truth be told, I still didn’t see what the big deal was over changing to a late lunch or even dinner, and I really did want to go surfing, but the fact that Christen was upset overruled all of that. I had made her upset, and I wanted to make it right. I walked over to her and put my hands on her arms. “Chris, of course. I’m sorry I forgot. I’ll get ready right now”, I said. I smiled at her apologetically, and kissed her on the cheek, then went into the shower.

 

********

 

Christen POV

 

“Okay, I’m ready”, Tobin said, as she laced up her boots. I looked over at her as I waited, angrily picking imaginary lint off of my dress, like I had been doing for the last ten minutes. She walked up to me and smiled, then said, “How do I look?”

“Fine”, I said, dismissively. I hadn’t asked her how I look, in my cute sundress and sandals, like I usually do. I was still upset. But I was cooling down, and I could tell that Tobin felt bed for forgetting, and more importantly, that she was sorry about making me upset. But, sometimes when I get upset it just takes me a while to cool off. I looked at my phone. We needed to get moving, but I needed to talk with her first, so I texted my Mom that we would be running late, then sat down on the bed.

“Wait, why are you sitting?" Tobin asked. "I thought we need to get moving”, she said.

“Tobie, look”, I said, holding out my hands. She took them and I guided her down onto the bed so she was sitting next to me. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, okay?”

“It’s okay”, she said, and smiled a bit at me. “I mean, I could tell you were upset, and I’m sorry I forgot about this brunch.”

“Well, thanks, and that’s okay, but it’s also like… well, look - we’re together now, okay? So you can’t just do whatever you want anymore, like you did when you were single.”

“Chris, I get it”, she said.

“Look, let me explain, okay? So like, this brunch is important to me, and because I’m the woman in your life, that should be important to you too”, I said. Tobin just stared at me and squeezed me hands, so I said, “Well, maybe not the brunch itself, or whatever, but the fact that _something_ is important to me should be important to you. You need to consider my feelings, Tobie.” I paused for effect and then said, “I mean, if it was the other way around, and just say we had a weekend surfing trip to Baja planned with your surfing crew friends, or something, I wouldn’t just expect you to cancel it last minute if I told you I wanted to stay in town just because some restaurant I like was having a dinner special, or something, or whatever. If we had something planned, and it was important to you, and I agreed to it in advance, then I would honor it.”

Tobin stared at me for a moment, then squeezed my hands again. “Look, I’m really sorry again, that I forgot, okay? And it totally makes sense, what you’re saying. Just know that, I honestly did forget, and once I, well, kind of remembered, I didn’t try to ditch out on purpose or anything. So it’s not like I tried to get out of going because I don’t like your mom, or definitely not like you’re not important to me, because that’s definitely not true, okay? I just… I guess I’m just used to kind of doing whatever I want, and going with the flow, and seeing where things go, or playing things by ear, I don’t know, whatever. Look, Chris, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m just not used to having to check in with anyone. And it’s not that I won’t. It’s just not ingrained in me, okay? It may just take me a bit to get used to. But I’ll try, okay?”

“Tobie, I know”, I said, looking into her eyes. “I know who you are and how you are, and that’s one of the things I love about you. And I don’t want you to lose your free spirit nature. But you not remembering things like this makes me feel like you don’t care about what’s important to me. So sometimes you just may need to balance being a free spirit, or whatever, with a commitment you made to something that’s important to me.” She paused for a moment and they said, “And look, I know you’ve changed plans on me before, but it's different now. At least, it felt different when you did that just now.”

“Chris, look – I’m sorry”, She said again. “I understand that, and of course if something means a lot to you, then that means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me.” She stared at me for a moment. Talking things out was helping my anger subside, and I smiled a bit. She smiled back and then leaned in for a light kiss.

“Thank you”, I said. “And you mean a lot to me too, Tobie." I paused for a moment and then said, "And, just so you know, I guess one of the reasons I got so upset today was because this brunch means a lot to me." I paused again and then said, “I was planning on telling my mom about us.”

“Wow”, Tobin said and sat back a bit. “Uh, okay. Like, what were you going to tell her?”

“I guess, that we’re together, or something” I said. Now that we were talking about it, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was actually going to tell my mom. Tobin and I haven’t discussed titles or anything.

“Wow", Tobin said. She paused for a moment and stared at me, then said, "Well, if I had known you were going to tell her, then I would have known how important this brunch was. And maybe I would have remembered it, or at least have thought less about going surfing once I did remember.”

I stared at her. She had a point. “Okay, I should have told you. I guess I just thought that, you’re such a go-with-the-flow person that you would have been fine if I had just brought it up on the fly, or whatever.”

“Your probably right”, she said, but then smiled slyly. “But the door swings both ways, Chris. I won't know how important things are to you if you don't let me know.”

“Okay, I’m sorry, I should have told you that I was planning on telling her”, I said. Now I was the one who felt bad.

“Well, I probably would have been fine even if you had just brought it up without telling me beforehand, like you were planning on doing, but like I said, if you had told me that was the reason for the brunch, I probably wouldn’t have forgotten”, Tobin said with a smile.

“Well, okay. I understand. But I guess, in full confession, I was kind of scared to bring it up when I asked if you wanted to go with me to this brunch, because I thought that if I had brought it up, then you wouldn’t have wanted to go”, I said sheepishly. Truth is, I’m kind of shy sometimes, especially when it comes to conflict or potentially embarrassing situations. Sometimes it gets in the way of me saying what I should.

“And why would you have thought that I wouldn’t have wanted to go if you had brought that up?” Tobin asked, looking right at me.

“Well, I just thought that…maybe you would have not wanted to go, since we would be talking to my mom about…our relationship, or whatever, and that can be, like, uncomfortable, or something...” I trailed off.

“Are you kidding me? Great brunch food with the most beautiful woman in the world, and her mother, who I believe actually thinks I’m okay?” Tobin said with a smile. “Look, all kidding aside, of course I would have said yes, if I had known how important this brunch was to you. It think it's great that you would want to tell your Mom with me there too.” She squeezed my hands and then said, “The only reason I would have bailed on this is if I would have known that there was going to be head high surf”, she said with a sly smile.

“Grrrrrrr”, I growled playfully at her.

Tobin smiled, then leaned in and kissed me. “I’m kidding. So, what do you want to tell her?” she asked.

I took a deep breath and then said, “I want to tell her that we’re together.”

Tobin stared at me for another moment and then said, “Then that’s what we’ll tell her. Okay?” she said and then smiled.

I stared at her and then smiled back. "Okay", I said, then leaned in and kissed her. “Thank you, Tobie”, I said. I felt better now.

“Thank _you_ , for being awesome”, she said. I smiled and she kissed me back, and then she stood up. “Now c’mon, we’re gonna be late”, she said. She pulled me up off the bed and then opened the door for me. I poked my head out, looked around the hall, and then leaned back, squeezed her hand and gave her one last kiss, and then we headed out the door.

 

********

 

“Hi Mom”, I said, as we approached the table. I gave her a kiss and then sat down across from her and next to Tobin.

“Hi honey”, my mom said to me. “Tobin, so nice to see you again.”

“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Press”, Tobin said.

“Tobin, call me Stacy, please”, my mom said. She smiled at Tobin and then said, “Well, this is nice, getting together for brunch.” She smiled at us and then stared at me for a moment. “Chris – what happened to your neck?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, Mom?”

“You have a bit of a bruise on your neck. Looks like maybe a bug bite or something? But darker.”

“I, um…am not sure”, I said, but then something dawned on me, and I glanced over at Tobin. She was looking at me, her face a mix of horror and amusement. I stared at her for a moment and then my eyes narrowed into a glare. Her mouth dropped slightly and then she turned to my mom.

“Um, yeah, uh…we’ve had some big bugs...biting at camp…lately", Tobin stumbled out. "Uh, I got bit on my legs, and it looks like, well, maybe Chris got bit on her neck…just below the ear…yeah…”, she trailed off. I continued to glare at her, but not too hard, hoping my mom wouldn’t notice, or put it together that I had a fricken’ hickey on my neck, thanks to the girl sitting next to me. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it this morning when I was getting ready. Maybe because I had been so angry. I glared at Tobin for another moment and then I heard someone approaching. I looked up and saw our server. He gave us some menus, then started to go into the specials, but I politely cut him off.

“I’m sorry, can you give us a minute, please?” I asked with a smile.

“Uh, sure…just let me know when you’re ready”, he said, then smiled politely and walked away. I looked over at Tobin, who looked like she was getting ready for me to yell at her again. I wasn’t really upset about the hickey, although I would have rather not had my mom see that, but I wasn’t going to bring it up. Right now I just wanted to tell my mom about us. I was nervous and I wanted to get that out of the way, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy brunch until I did.

My mom watched the server walk away, then frowned and turned to me. “Honey, is everything alright?”

I looked at her, and then looked at Tobin, who smiled slightly and nodded her head, and then looked back at my mom. “Actually, uh…everything’s wonderful. And um…that’s why I asked you to brunch today - well, us, all of us, to brunch today.” She stared at me expectantly, so I said. “Mom- Tobin and I are together.” There, I said it. I held in a deep breath, awaiting her judgement.

My mom looked at me. “Together?”

“Yes Mom, together.”

She looked at me for another moment and then looked at Tobin. “Tobin?” she said.

“Yes, ma’am?”

My mom kind of laughed. “Tobin, please. I told you – call me Stacy.”

Tobin smiled slightly, then said, “Well, I figured I should maybe be more formal towards the mother of the girl that I’m seeing.”

“Seeing?” my mom asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes Mom”, I said. “Seeing, together, dating, mutually exclusive, however you want to term it. Tobin and I are…well, together.” I said. I looked over at Tobin, and she took my hand under the table and squeezed it.

My mom stared at us for a moment, looking back and forth between us, and then said, “Well, I mean…wow. Well, I guess um, I guess I can’t say I’m super surprised, since, well…you haven’t dated anyone since you brought Tobin over for dinner, whenever that was, a few months ago, and I guess now that I think about it, I think I sensed that night that there may have been something going on, though I didn’t realize it at the time.” She paused for a moment and then said, “So, how long have you two been…um, dating, or together, or whatever?”

I looked at Tobin, but she just nodded slightly at me and squeezed my hand again. Apparently this was my show, my mom, so I had to be the one to lead the talking. “Well, um…I guess about a month, maybe. But, I think we’ve liked each other for longer than that, I guess.” I looked at Tobin and then said, “Well, I know that I’ve liked her for longer than that.” I looked at Tobin, and she nodded back, apparently feeling the same way towards me.

“Wow”, my mom said. She was silent for another moment, and then said, “Well, I guess I have to ask, Christen… I mean, how long have you been…” she trailed off.

“Attracted to women?” I finished for her. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know if it’s really that, Mom. I mean, I’ve never liked another woman before, but, well, I like this woman. And, I mean, I don’t know if that that makes me gay, or whatever, but I like Tobin."

My mom stared at me for a moment, and then said, "Well, I guess now that I think about it, it's been a long while since I've met any guys that you've dated. I mean, now that I think about it, the last time I met a guy you were dating may have been back when you were in college."

"Well, I like Tobin now", I said. "She makes me happy, and I think I make her happy, too." I turned to look at Tobin, who smiled and nodded. I smiled and turned back to my mom and said, "And I don't care about labels or whatever. I just care about the fact that we make each other happy, and I'm hoping that's all you care about too.” I exhaled and dropped my shoulders, having said my peace.

My mom looked at me, and then at Tobin. “Tobin?”

“Yes ma'a- I mean, Stacy?”

“Do you love my daughter?”

“Mom, wait, I don’t think that we’re quite there yet", I said, but Tobin jumped in.

“Yes”, Tobin said. She looked at my mom, then looked at me, and then looked back at my mom. “Well, I'm fast on my way at least, and I will do anything to make her the happiest woman in the world.” My jaw dropped open a bit, and Tobin turned towards me and smiled slightly and squeezed my hand again.

My mom sat there, looking back and forth between Tobin and me. I could tell she was trying to process everything. I could also tell by the way she kept looking at my neck that she had put together where my 'bug bite' had come from. Maybe I would bring this up to Tobin after all. I'm not sure if I want the world seeing that kind of a thing, even if I do like the process of getting them from my Tobie. “Well then I’m happy for you two", my mom finally said. "I mean, it may take me a bit to get used to, since, you know, Chris, I always imagined you walking down the aisle towards a tall, dark and handsome man. But…well, if Tobin makes you happy, then I’m happy for you”, she said, and a small smile crossed her face. "And you", she said, looking at Tobin, and her smile grew a bit wider.

“Thank you, Stacy”, Tobin said.

“Thanks Mom”, I said, my eyes starting to tear up. My mom and I have always been close, but I wasn’t sure what kind of response I was going to get on this. And even though I had been hoping for a more enthusiastic response, I got that this was probably a lot for her to take in. But, more importantly, even if she didn’t quite understand or whatever, she was happy for me. That said it all. That, coupled with the fact that I felt like the burden I’d been carrying all week since I had scheduled this brunch had finally been lifted off my shoulders, had me in tears.

My mom stared at me for a moment and then got out of her seat. “Awwww…honey”, she said, putting her arms around me. We stayed like that for a bit, my mom’s arms around me and my Tobie holding my hand. Then my mom sat back down. I let go of Tobin’s hand and grabbed my napkin and dried my eyes. I looked at Tobin, who was smiling at me, and I smiled legitimately for the first time today. My mom looked at us and said, “Well, it looks like this is going to be a celebratory brunch, then.” She smiled and then around. “So, where’s our server? Let’s get this party started!”


	7. Chapter 7

Tobin POV

It was a few days after Christen and I had brunch with her mom. We’d been training hard for our game against England this coming weekend. Today was our last practice at camp. We were on a plane Thursday to Houston, practice Friday in Houston, play Saturday.

I looked over at Christen. She was finishing up her makeup. “You sure you don’t want me to go?” I asked.

She pursed her lips, then looked over at me. “No, I think for now I should just be the one to tell them”, she said. Christen was headed to her family’s for dinner. She was going to tell her father and sisters about us. Her mom had taken the news pretty well, but Christen thought that some other members of her family might not be as receptive, so she wanted to break the news to them without me. I had offered to go, since I thought maybe it would be helpful to her, to have me there, but she said she’d be fine, especially since her mom was being supportive. “If things don’t go well, I don’t want you to have to see that”, she said with a rueful smile.

“Well, I hope that’s not the case. I mean, your family likes me, right?”

“Well, yeah, but liking you as one of my friends and liking you as my…girlfriend…isn’t necessarily the same thing.” The 'G' word...I liked that, coming from her mouth. I've totally fallen for this woman standing in front of me. When Christen's mom asked me if I loved Christen, she had caught me off guard, but me saying 'yes' was just my most natural reaction. I think I surprised Christen by just blurting out that answer, but that's just how I feel.

“I get that”, I said. “Well, good luck.” I smiled and then leaned in and gave her a kiss.

“Thanks”, she said. “Did you decide what you’re going to do tonight?”

“I may stay in, but Stace and Kit want to hang. Since, you know, I blew them off the day Lunada was firing to go have brunch with my…girlfriend…and her mom”, I said, smiling and rolling my eyes as I did.

“Don’t start”, Christen said. She narrowed her eyes at me and headed for the door.

“I’m kidding”, I said, then came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

“Get away from me”, she said with mock anger in her voice, but I could tell she was smiling.

“Mmmmm…you smell wonderful”, I said, as I hugged her from behind and buried my face in her hair.

She turned in my arms to face me. “Flattery is good”, she said. She smiled and I smiled back. “You’re forgiven”, she said, then leaned in for a kiss. I kissed her back, and then she squeezed my hand and left the room to catch her Uber.

 

********

 

Christen POV

 

I got home just after 9pm. Tobin was out, maybe with Stace and Kit. My talk with my family went pretty well. My mom held my hand the whole time. My sisters were cool. My dad was taken aback, but I think he’ll be okay. Ultimately he’s like my mom in the sense that if I’m happy, then that’s the most important thing. And I’m thankful for that. I don't think Tobin has told her family yet, or if she has, then she didn't tell me she did. I know they’re pretty religious. Maybe they’ll be cool about us. I hope so. I want to have a good relationship with the family of the girl I'm seeing. Hopefully they’ll be happy about us, or at least feel like if Tobin is happy, then they’re happy for her.

I plopped down on my bed and pulled out my phone. Night time was usually when I caught up on emails and social media and what not. And I used to keep up better, but since Tobin and I have been together, I’ve been…busier at nights, so I’ve kind of fallen behind with correspondence. I logged onto Facebook. My notifications bar said I had forty eight messages. Yikes. I was about to start going through them but instead started scrolling through my feed, and that’s when I saw it. There was a picture of Tobin at Lighthouse Bar in Hermosa, posted maybe thirty minutes ago. Behind her in the background I recognized Stace and Kit. But right next to her was a blonde girl I didn’t recognize. She was smiling at Tobin, her lips right up on Tobin’s cheek. Tobin was smiling at the camera. The caption read:

Partying with sexy beast Tobin Heath! God what I wouldn’t do to hit this! #tobinheath #sexytime #hot

My eyes narrowed as I looked at her name. Jenna Lorenc. I clicked on her profile. Apparently she’s friends with Tobin, Stace and Kit. Maybe she’s part of that south bay surfing crew. I quickly scanned her pictures. Quite the flirt. Lots of pictures of her hanging all over other girls. I didn’t care about that, but I did care about her hanging all over _my_ girl. I stared at her profile for another minute and then started checking my messages.

 

********

 

Tobin got home around 11pm. I was in my pajamas, looking at my phone. I had been trying to get through emails, but all I could think about was that photo of flirty Jenna with her lips on my Tobie’s cheek. I looked over at her as she walked in.

“Hi you”, she said and smiled as she saw me when she walked in. She closed the door and then walked over to my bed and bent over for a kiss. I kissed her back quickly, then went back to looking at my phone. She hung her jacket up, took off her shoes, and then looked over at me. “How did it go?” she asked.

I put down my phone. I really wanted to ask her about this Jenna girl, but I supposed I could tell her how telling my family went first. “Pretty good, I think”, I said. “Everyone was surprised. My sisters were pretty cool, though. My dad was not as cool, although he wasn’t mad or mean or anything. He just, you know… wasn’t as, I don’t know…excited, I guess, for lack of a better word.”

“I’m sorry, Chris”, Tobin said. She sat down on my bed and grabbed my hands and squeezed them.

“Thanks”, I said, then asked, “Have you told your family yet?”

“No, no yet”, Tobin said. “I really want to, but I kind of want to do it in person. But, you know, if we decided to go public, and I can't see them before we do, I'll just call or something.”

“Yeah, I understand”, I said. “I guess I’m fortunate that way, to have family right here near camp, so I can go see them and tell them important things like that.” I paused for a moment and then said, “So, how was your evening?”

“Good”, Tobin said. “I went to Lighthouse in Hermosa. Met up with Stace, Kit, and a couple other people.”

“Sounds fun”, I said. Then I cleared my throat and asked, “Hey Tobie? Who is Jenna Lorenc?”

“She’s a friend of Stace and Kit’s, from south bay.”

“Do you know her?”

“I’ve met her once or twice before. Why?”

I stared at her for a moment and then said, “Well, I saw a picture of you and her from tonight, and she was like…all over you.”

Tobin looked at me, surprised. “Really?”

“Uh…yeah. Here”, I said, grabbing my phone. I found the picture and then showed it to her.

“Oh, yeah, I remember now. She took that right as I walked in", Tobin said. She looked at me, and right then I could tell that she realized I was a bit upset. “Look, Chris, literally as soon as I got in the door she grabbed me, pulled me over, said ‘Take a picture with me’, and then kissed me on the cheek and snapped the picture.”

“And that’s okay with you?” I asked. “I mean, look, she’s like all over you.”

“Chris – I had no idea she was going to kiss my cheek when she took the picture. And honestly? Right up until now, I had forgotten that she had even taken it. I mean, after a little bit of ‘so whatcha been up to’ small talk, I really didn’t talk to her at all for the rest of the night.” She paused and then looked at me. “Chris, are you okay?”

I looked at Tobin. Of course I believed her. It’s just…I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I mean, I don’t want anyone but me kissing my Tobie. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that, I guess I don’t want anyone else kissing my Tobie, that’s all”, I said. I laid on a bit of a pout and the sad puppy dog eyes.

“Awwww...” Tobin said. She squeezed my hands, then gave me a sweet kiss. “I don’t want anyone else, baby. I want you.”

I looked at her. She had never called me ‘baby’ before. That was a first. I liked the way it sounded, coming from her mouth. I smiled and leaned in for another kiss. I could taste light beer on her lips, but not a lot, so it wasn’t drunk talk. “Okay”, I said. “And I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off as a jealous girlfriend or anything, it’s just that, well, it’s obvious that this Jenna girl has the hots for you, and-”

“I get it, Chris”, Tobin said. “Let me say this: one, I don’t have the hots for her, and two, I get where you're coming from. I wouldn’t want to see a picture of someone else kissing you, either.” She paused and then looked at me. “But also, we haven’t made our relationship public, so really no one knows, except for like a few people. I mean, if people don’t know we’re together, they may think we’re single. If people knew we were together, then maybe that would cut down on random people hitting on me, or you.”

“Yeah, that’s true”, I said. “Well, I guess the bottom line is…I just don't like seeing pictures of anyone else kissing you.”

“So…maybe we should think about when we’re going to let people know”, Tobin said, looking straight at me. “I mean, Chris, if I can say it – you’ve been more reluctant than me to tell people.”

I looked back at her. She was right. Out of the two of us I have been the one who has been more reluctant. It’s not that I’m embarrassed or anything, it’s just that I’m a more private person by nature. I just don’t think everyone needs to know about us. I guess it kind of bothers me that there’s so much media about us right now. Someone took a picture of us at the club we were at like a week and a half ago, and it blew up all over the internet. I guess I never realized that being a professional athlete would mean that so many people would care about my personal life. I mean, I guess it makes sense, but I thought that was maybe more for like rock stars and movie stars, not athletes. Anyway, Ashlyn and Ali know, and we told Hope and Kelley after Kelley showed us that picture from the beach, and now I’ve told my family, but that’s it. And it’s not like Tobin is dying to tell the world about us, but guess she just doesn’t care as much as I do about people knowing about us. Tobin is right, though – I’ve been the one who has been more reluctant to say anything. “I know, you’re right”, I said. “But I feel like maybe if we don’t go public, then people will eventually stop making a big deal about speculating whether or not we’re together, and we can just be like a normal couple.”

“I don’t know if it works that way, baby”, Tobin said. “I mean, look at Ashlyn and Ali, or Hope and Kelley: sure, once they made their relationship public, people went nuts for a couple of weeks, but then things died down. It was only after they made things public that people stopped caring as much all the time. Before they went public, people were up in their business all the time, speculating whether or not they were together. Like I said, if people knew we were together, then maybe that would cut down on random people hitting on you or me.” She paused and then said, “Unless, you know, you want Jenna to-”

“Shut up, ass”, I said, and went to playfully slap her arm. She caught my hand and laughed, and I gave her a mock glare.

“I’m kidding, baby”, she said.

I glared at her playfully for a few more seconds and then started thinking again. Maybe she was right. “I don’t know, I guess so, maybe”, I said. “Look, I’m just not sure, I mean…I don’t even know how to go about letting the world know-”

“Hey”, Tobin said. She put her finger to my lips. “We don’t need to figure it out tonight, alright?” she said and then smiled. I nodded my head, and then smiled back, and then she leaned in for a kiss. Her lips pressed against mine, and then I felt her tip me back and then she crawled on top of me. She kissed me for another minute, and then she sat up, straddling me, and unbuttoned her shirt. She threw it onto the ground, then unhooked her bra and threw it onto the ground, and then she dipped back down and her mouth met mine. We stayed like that, lip locked for another few minutes, tongues dancing, and then I flipped her over so she was on her back, and then I pulled off my pajamas, pulled off her jeans and underwear, and then went back down.


	8. Chapter 8

Tobin POV

We were at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. We had just defeated England 2-0 in a World-Cup qualifier. Everyone was in a good mood. After the game we had gathered for a quick photo-op on the field, then had gone back to the locker room for the post-game coaches talk, then had gone back out onto the field for some interviews and face time with the fans. Then it was back to the locker room to pack up. Now, most of the team had left the locker room and were headed towards the bus that was going back to the hotel. Christen and I were the only ones left in the locker room. I looked over at her and smiled.

“Hey you”, I said softly.

“Hey”, she mouthed back.

“You were great today.”

 _“You_ were great today”, she said back, flirtily. I smiled and then walked over to her. I looked around real quick to make sure we were alone, and then I put my arms around her waist and gave her a quick kiss. She per her arms around my neck and caught my lips in hers and returned the kiss, and we stayed like that for a minute, then I pulled away and looked at her. She’s beautiful, I thought, and then thought: I just want to get her back to the hotel as soon as possible. We were rooming together on this trip. It was going to be a fun night…

“So, shall we head out…” I said suggestively, raising my eyebrows, still holding her waist.

“Yeah”, she breathed out, then leaned in and kissed me again. I started moving my hands from her hips up her shirt, and she sighed as my hands cupped her breasts, her hands pulling at the back of my jersey. Then my mouth left hers and travelled down to her neck, but she pulled away and looked at me. “No, wait”, she said softly, referring to the hickey I had left on her neck a couple weeks ago, but with a smile on her face.

“Sorry”, I said, then leaned in to kiss her again. I wanted her so bad. We kissed for another moment, and then Christen pulled away. “Save it”, she said, teasingly, and put her finger to my lips. She smiled mischievously at me and said, “C’mon, let’s get out of here”, she said, then finished packing her bag. I smiled back, packed my bag, and we headed out. I poked my head out of the locker room. There was no one there. We started walking down the hallway, and I looked over at her. She looked over at me and smiled, and I smiled back and then reached out and took her hand in mine. We've been laying low on displaying affection when we're not alone, but I was getting sick of that. It felt wonderful to hold Christen's hand in public, like a real couple should be able to do. We walked like that for a moment, and then we came up on a bend in the hallway. I looked over at her, smiled, and then leaned in for a kiss. I had meant for it to just be a quick kiss, but I felt her return the kiss, and so we walked, lips together, hand in hand. Then I pulled away slowly as we rounded the corner, gazing into her eyes and smiling, still holding her hand.

And froze.

Carli Lloyd was there. She was facing away from us, giving an interview. Dozens of cameras were on her. A murmur from the crowd of reporters went up as we came into view. I stood frozen for a moment and then felt Christen yank her hand away from mine. I swore I was sure that everyone had left, but lo and behold, there people were. I don’t know how I didn’t hear Carli talking before we rounded the corner. I guess I was too wrapped up in our kiss. But it doesn’t matter now. I recovered and kept walking as if nothing had happened, but it was too late. We had been caught on camera, holding hands and pulling away from a kiss, looking into each other’s’ eyes and smiling like lovers. Some of the reporters shifted their focus from Carli to us and started to follow us. I heard Carli yell something like, “Hey, what’s going on?” Christen and I kept walking, not saying anything, but my blood had frozen. We had just been caught by cameras for a dozen local and national news organizations. We got outside with only one reporter still following us and got on the bus. Our teammates were reveling in the victory. They smiled at us and engaged us in compliments of a game well played. I tried to smile back and return the props as we took our seats, but my stomach was in a know, thinking about the trouble we were going to be in. Then I looked over at Christen, and she looked back at me, her face white as a ghost.

 

********

 

Christen POV

 

That was the longest bus ride ever. Thanks goodness Carli didn't look at us when she got on the bus or ask us anything on the ride back to the hotel. I might have fainted. We arrived at the hotel and immediately went up to our room. We shut the door, and then I dropped my bag and looked over at Tobin. Her face was white, as I’m sure mine was as well.

“Chris”, Tobin said. “I’m so sorry”, Tobin said.

“No, it wasn’t your fault”, I said. It really wasn’t. Yes, she had initiated the holding hands and the kissing, but I wanted it too. We both should have showed more restraint. This was going to be trouble. I could feel it. I stared at Tobin for another moment and then our phone rang. Not either one of our cell phones, but the room phone. I stared at Tobin, who stared back at me and then picked it up.

“Hello?” Tobin said.

“It’s Carli.” I could hear the voice through the phone.

“Hey Carli”, Tobin said.

“I need to talk with you and Press. Come to my room right now. 218.”

“Uh, what’s going o-?” Tobin started, but Carli cut her off.

“Dammit, Heath – you and Press just get your asses over here right now!” I heard Carli say loudly, then hang up the phone.

Tobin hung up and then looked at me. “Did you get that?” she asked, worry in her voice.

“Yup”, I said solemnly. “I got it.” We started at each other, and in that moment I thought: I could really use a hug from her right now, but then I thought: it’s displaying affection that got us into trouble, so I just sighed instead, and then we headed out the door to Carli’s room.


	9. Chapter 9

Christen POV

Tobin and I walked down to Carli’s room and knocked on the door. Carli opened it up. She looked pissed. We bowed our heads and walked in, and Carli shut the door.

“Alright, sit”, Carli said, pointing to her bed. Tobin and I sat down, and Carli put her hands on her hips and glared at us. “So, you guys wanna tell me what the hell is going on?”

Tobin and I looked at each other, and then I spoke. “Carli…Tobin and I are seeing each other.”

“No shit”, Carli said. She stood there, looking between Tobin and me, and then said, “Well, when the hell did this all start?”

“Maybe a month ago or so”, Tobin said. “But, um… I think we’ve liked each other for longer. I mean, at least I’ve liked Christen for longer.” She smiled at me.

I smiled back. “Me too”, I said.

“And why the hell haven’t you guys said anything?” Carli asked. “It’s not like there’s rules anymore against teammates being together. I mean, it’s public knowledge about Ash and Ali, and Hope and Kelley. So what gives?”

“Well, um… I guess we were trying to figure out between us first what was happening”, I said.

“Yeah, I mean, if things hadn’t worked out in the last month there would have been no reason to tell anyone, you know?” Tobin said.

Carli stared at us for a moment and then said in a softer voice, “Look guys, I’m happy for you, personally. I really am. But this kind of shit has implications for the team. The team itself and the way the team is perceived by the media. I mean, I’m giving an interview, next thing I know, reporters are walking out on me mid-sentence and following you guys outside, and then I start getting bombarded with questions about you guys, and I don’t have the slightest fucking clue as to what people are talking about, because I had my back turned when you guys walked around the corner kissing and holding hands, which a bunch of reporters and cameras caught.”

“Look, we’re really sorry, Carli, okay?” Tobin said.

“Yeah, we’re really sorry we put you in that position, with the media and all”, I chimed in.

“Okay, look, like I said, I’m happy for you guys. But I want you guys to talk to Jill”, Carli said. “I haven’t talked with her yet, because I wanted to talk with you guys first, and I want you guys to be the one to tell her. But you gotta talk with her tonight. I bet by now she’s already heard stuff.”

“Thanks Carli”, I said. “We’ll go talk with her tonight.”

“Alright”, Carli said. She took her hands off of her hips and was about to show us the door when her room phone rang. She picked it up. “Hello?” she said. “Yeah, I heard about it…I don’t know…I’ll find out…I’ll get back with you.” She hung up and looked at Tobin and me. “Guess who that was?”

“Jill”, I said and swallowed hard.

“Yup. So, you two get your asses to her room now. I'll tell her you're coming. She’s down the hall in room 212”, Carli said.

Tobin sighed and looked at me, and we headed for Carli’s door.

“Hey guys”, Carli said. We looked back. “Look, again – I’m happy for you, alright?” she said, and smiled faintly.

I smiled faintly back. “Thanks, Cap”, I said. Tobin smiled and nodded, and then we left.

 

********

 

Tobin POV

We knocked on the door to room 212. Jill opened it up. She ushered us in and sat us on the bed.

“I assume you guys know why you're here?” Jill asked.

“Uh, I think so?” I said.

“Have a look”, Jill said. She motioned to her computer. On the screen was a video of Carli giving the interview after the game. Seconds later Christen and I walked around the corner, holding hands and kissing. “This video has spread like wildfire. Already a quarter of a million hits. We’ve been getting calls all evening from the media”, she said, then stared at us. “Well?”

“Um…Christen and I are seeing each other”, I began.

“Yeah, it’s been about a month or so”, Christen said. “We’re sorry we didn’t say anything. We just wanted to make sure it was real before we told anyone.”

“And?” Jill asked, staring at us.

“It is”, I said. “At least for me”, she said, and smiled at me.

“It is for me too”, Christen said and smiled back.

“Well, on the one hand I’m happy for you guys personally. It’s great you both have found someone that you like”, Jill said. She smiled slightly but then her smile dropped. “However, even though there isn’t a rule anymore prohibiting teammates from becoming involved with one another, this was really unprofessional, ladies. At the arena? Right after a game? No. This kind of behavior needs to be kept private.”

“Yeah, we’re really sorry, Coach”, Christen said.

“Any reason why you two couldn’t have waited to get back to the hotel?”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ve been hiding it for so long, and we're happy together, and we were elated, with the win and all, and I don’t know, no one else was around, and things got, I don’t know…” I trailed off.

“Out of hand”, Christen said, sheepishly.

“No one else was around except for a bunch or reporters and cameras when you turned the corner.” Jill stared at us for a moment and then said, “Well, now we need to think about how this affects the team.”

“Well, I hope that everyone on the team would be happy for us, Coach”, I said.

“Yes, but there are also many people who are not on this team who are now involved. Such as the media. This is an important year for us, ladies. We can’t have any distractions”, Jill said sternly.

“So, what should we do?” Christen asked.

“I want you guys to talk with the media”, Jill said. “I'll call a press conference. You two will tell the media that you are seeing each other. Once it is out in the open, everyone will go back to paying attention to the game”.

“Well, I mean, I’m not sure if I want everyone up in my personal life, Coach”, Christen said.

“You made that choice already, Press. The cat’s already out of the bag”, Jill said, motioning to the video. Christen looked down.

“Well, I guess if that’s the best thing…” I said.

“It is”, Jill confirmed. “This way, this team and the media can get back to soccer, and you two can carry on your personal life on personal time.” She looked at us and then said, “I will schedule something for first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Christen said.

“Yes. Tomorrow morning. The sooner the better. I will also let the rest of the team know”, Jill said.

“Coach”, I said. “If it’s okay, Christen and I should be the ones to tell the team.”

“Fine”, Jill said. “But make it tonight. We’re going on air tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, Coach”, I said, and Christen nodded. Then we stood up and walked out of the room.

“Wow”, Christen said. “Going on air in less than twelve hours to tell the world about my relationship. That’s something normal people just don’t have to deal with.”

“Yeah, wow is right”, I said. I looked at her and then said, “Hey, Chris – it’s gonna be okay. We're just gonna go out there, and tell people what we gotta tell ‘em, and that’ll be that. Jill’s right. We do this, we go back to playing soccer, and we can have our relationship. We just can’t make out in front of the cameras after a game anymore”, I said, then smiled lightly.

Christen smiled lightly back. “I guess so”, she said.

“Well, how do you want to do this? Texts? Or just start knocking on doors?” I asked.

Christen thought for a moment and then said, “I guess we should tell people personally.” She paused for a moment and then said, “Plus, I’m kind of afraid to look at my phone right now.” I was too, actually. I'm sure the messages were piling up.

“Alright, well, I guess we should just start doing this. I mean, I’m kind of in the zone right now since Carli and Jill have both busted on us, so I guess we should just get it all over with now”, I said.

“Yeah, I suppose so”, Christen said, then added, “Don’t think I’ll be sleeping much tonight anyway.”

I looked at her and smiled. I wanted to kiss her, but instead I touched her arm, and we headed down the hall and started knocking on doors.


	10. Chapter 10

Christen POV

We arrived at BBVA stadium. I hadn’t slept at all last night. By the time Tobin and I had made the rounds it was almost midnight. Most of our teammates were surprised. Some said they kind of knew. Everyone was really supportive. That was nice, but I knew that today was going to be harder. Cameras and microphones in our faces. People firing questions at us. I looked over at Tobin as we sat down at the table in the media room. She seemed so much more relaxed than me. After making the rounds last night we had discussed what we were going to say. Tobin said we should just make it short and tell it straight. If we do that, she said, there’s nothing to worry about. I swear, nothing fazes her. I kind of wish I was more like that. Especially right now.

The lights went up. Cameras started rolling. Jill started talking.

“Thank you everyone for joining us this morning. As I’m sure many of you are aware, a video of two of our players surfaced online yesterday after the game against England. The video went viral in a matter of hours, and as of now it has over thirty million views. Some of you in the room here were actually at the stadium yesterday when the action in this video took place. Well, here to speak with you now, are the two players whom this video concerns: Tobin Heath and Christen Press." Jill finished and motioned to us.

“So, I don’t think there’s really any point in belaboring this, so we’re just gonna get right to it. Christen and I are seeing each other”, Tobin said and then paused. A murmur went up from the crowd and then Tobin said, “That’s correct, you heard me right: Christen and I are seeing each other.”

“We wanted to tell you today for one simple reason”, I said. “So that you all would know. We want everyone to know, so there aren’t any gossiping or rumors flying around, and so we all can focus on what’s really important – soccer.”

“We ask that everyone please respect our privacy in our personal relationship, but we are happy to answer a few questions now”, Tobin said. Immediately the room erupted.

“How long have you two been together?”

“About a month”, I said.

“How many people know?”

“Before the video went out, just our families and the team", Tobin answered.

“Any plans for settling down together? Marriage? Kids?”

“It’s a little too early for all of that, but we are enjoying each other’s company right now", I said.

“What happens if one of you ends up off the national team?”

“I don’t think that will affect our relationship. We like each other for who we are, not what team we play on", Tobin said.

“What about when you go back to your club teams? Being in different cities?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But again, the teams we play on don’t affect our relationship”, I answered.

“Unless we’re playing each other”, Tobin said, then winked. “Depending on who wins, we may sleep in different rooms that night”, she jested. Laughter erupted from the media, and I blushed slightly but laughed nonetheless. I looked over at Tobin and smiled. Nothing fazes her. I shook my head and then laughed a bit more. Then I looked over at Jill and nodded.

“Okay folks, that’s all for questions, thank you all again for your time”, Jill said. Tobin and I smiled and waved, and then left the area.

 

********

 

Tobin POV

“So, how do you think that went?” Christen asked as we sat in the back of our uber headed back to our hotel room.

“Good I think”, I said. “You?”

“Good I guess”, Christen said. “So now what?”

“I don’t know”, I said. “I guess we have to just wait and see. I mean, we said what we were going to say, so that’s about as much as we can do, right?”

“Right”, Christen said.

I looked at her and smiled, and then she looked at me, smiled back, and nuzzled into me slightly. “So, what do you want to do today?” I asked. The rest of the team had left to head back for camp. Only Jill, Christen and I were still here.

“I don’t know. I feel worn out”, Christen said, and stifled a small yawn.

“Well, we didn’t sleep much last night”, I said.

“Maybe we can sleep today”, Christen said. She closed her eyes and nestled further into me.

“Or, since we are 'officially' a couple now", I jested, "We could…” I let it hang. Christen looked up at me and smiled.

“Tobie…” she said, looking up

“What? We’re officially out and public. We should celebrate”, I said, then kissed her on the forehead. Christen smiled and nestled back down. We reached the hotel and got out and started walking to our room.

“So, wanna bet how many messages we each have?” I said.

“I don’t even want to know”, Christen groaned. She pulled out her phone. “Ugh…tons”, she said. “You?”

“Yep, tons”, I said, looking at my phone. We reached our room and I opened the door for her. We walked in, I shut the door, and we kicked off our shoes and then laid on the bed. Then a thought crossed my mind. “I’m gonna Google us”, I said. I typed in our names and hit enter.

“Oh no”, Christen said.

“Whoa, check that out”, I said. We were on fire. Lots of stuff everywhere about us coming out as being together. “And look at this”, I said and pointed to the first tweet I saw. It was from the uber driver who had just dropped us off.

 

OMG I just dropped off tobin heath and christen press right after they confirmed they are together! #preath #hotcouple

 

“Oh boy”, Christen said, rolling over and burying her face in a pillow.

I laughed lightly, then rolled her back towards me. I stared at her and then took her hands. “Hey baby”, I said. “Don't worry. Let’s forget about everyone else for just a bit. Let’s just be us, okay.”

Christen looked at me and then planted a kiss on my lips. “Okay”, she said, snuggling into me, and I cupped her chin and planted a deep kiss on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm gonna call this one right here. Kind of ending it right where I'm hoping real life goes soon (except for them being busted, but it would be great if they felt like they could come out as a couple, like it would be great for all people to have that option).


End file.
